North Carolina Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

            WASHINGTON — A North Carolina man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting law enforcement officers, related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

            Anthony Mastanduno, 60, formerly of Farmingdale, New York and now a resident of Rutherford County, North Carolina, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, both felony offenses. In addition to the felonies, Mastanduno is charged with several misdemeanors, including knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

            Mastanduno was arrested today in Asheville and will make his initial appearance in the Western District of North Carolina.

            According to court documents, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage from Jan. 6, 2021 shows a man, later identified as Mastanduno, unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol building through the Senate Wing Door while wearing a camouflage jacket, backpack, and a red baseball cap with a patch on the bill and “Trump 2020 Keep America Great!” embroidered in white thread. Mastanduno entered the building approximately four minutes after it was first breached. Mastanduno was also observed in the area near the Memorial Door and at the front of a line of rioters who overwhelmed officers in the Crypt at about 2:23 p.m.

            Mastanduno later traveled outside the Capitol building, engaging with fellow rioters and participating in coordinated attacks on uniformed Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Officers defending the Lower West Terrace tunnel. Court documents allege that videos and still images taken by others in the crowd showed Mastanduno at around 4:30 p.m. as he threw an object toward officers, utilized a telescoping baton to strike at officers in the tunnel, and pushed into the tunnel with a stolen police shield.  

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Charlotte, New York, and Washington Field Offices, which identified Mastanduno as BOLO (Be On the Lookout) #397 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 31 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,106 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. 

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

            A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.